Description

ALICE NIELSEN (NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, JUNE 7, 1872 – NEW YORK, N.Y., MARCH 8, 1943)

 

 

 

 

She came from a Danish-Irish family and, as a child, sang in a church choir in Kansas City. During a tour with a church concert company, the company went bankrupt while performing in St. Joseph, Missouri. To finance her trip home, she performed at the Eden Musée. In 1892, she married organist Benjamin Nentwig from Kansas City when she was very young.

In 1893, she made her stage debut with the Burton Opera Company as Yum-Yum in the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta The Mikado. After brief study with Max Dessi, she participated in the world premiere of Victor Herbert’s operetta The Fortune Teller in New York in 1898, and appeared in its London premiere in 1901. She also performed in Herbert’s The Singing Girl.

In 1901, while performing in London at the Shaftesbury Theatre, impresario Henry Russell encouraged her to focus on opera singing. After further studies in Rome, she made her opera debut in 1903 at the Teatro Bellini in Naples as Marguerite in Gounod’s Faust. In 1904, she achieved great success as Violetta in La Traviata at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. That same year, she made guest appearances at Covent Garden in London, performing as Zerlina in Don Giovanni and as Mimi in La Bohème, with Enrico Caruso as Rodolfo.

In 1905, she was praised for her portrayal of Norina in Don Pasquale at the Casino Theatre in New York. She toured America in 1908 with the San Carlo Opera Company. From 1909 to 1913, she was the celebrated prima donna of the Boston Opera while also performing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where she debuted as Mimi in La Bohème, followed by Norina in Don Pasquale and Nedda in Pagliacci. At the Boston Opera, she took part in the premiere of Frederick Converse’s The Sacrifice on March 3, 1911.

In 1917, she made her final appearance at the Casino Theatre in New York in the operetta Kitty Darling by Friml. Afterward, she retired from the stage and lived as a teacher in New York.

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

A little coon’s prayer (Hope) (w. quartet) 30007D 81648-4 Columbia, New York 1924-03-26

A spirit flower (Tipton) A5717 37180-2 Columbia, New York 1915-03-06

Always do as people say you should (Herbert) 3180 Berliner, 1898-1902

Annie Laurie (Scott) A5245 30588-1 Columbia, New York 1910-11-29

Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) Una voce poco fa 74074 C4548-1 Victor, 1907-05-31

Barney O’Hea (Lover) A5711 37206 Columbia, New York 1915-03-06

Believe me if all those endearing young charms (trad) A5678 37173-3 Columbia, New York 1915-02-11

Bendemeer’s stream (Gatty) A5670 37178 Columbia, New York 1915-02-15

Bohème (Puccini) Addio A5246 30596 Columbia, New York 1910-11-29

Bohème (Puccini) Mi chiamano Mimì 74062 C4559-1 Victor, 1907-05-22

Bonnie sweet Bessie (Gilbert) A5299 30582-3 Columbia, New York 1910-11-22

By the Waters of Minnetonka (Lieurance) A1732 39874 Columbia, New York 1915-02-18

Carmen (Bizet) Je dis que rien A5247 30599-1 Columbia, New York 1910-11-29

Darling Nelly Gray (hanby) 54-M 19735-5 Columbia, New York 1922-03-02

Darling Nelly Gray (hanby) A1143 19735 Columbia, New York 1912-01-23

Don Giovanni (Mozart) Batti, batti A5249 30583 Columbia, New York 1910-11-22

Don Pasquale (Donizetti) Quel guardo 74087 C4549-1 Victor, 1907-05-31

Faust (Gounod) Dammi ancor (w. Constantino) 74076 C4552-1 Victor, 1907-05-31

Faust (Gounod) Le Roi de Thulé A5247 30587-1 Columbia, New York 1910-11-23

Faust (Gounod) Tardi si fa! (w. Zenatello) H1073 30924-1 Columbia, New York 1911-12-18

Fille du Régiment (Donizetti) Convien partir 74117 C6133-4 Victor, 1908-05-01

From the land of the sky-blue water (Cadman) A5298 30726-1 Columbia, New York 1911-04-0813

From the Land of the sky-blue Waters (Cadman) A1732 39875 Columbia, New York 1915-02-18

Good Bye (Tosti) A5401 30729-3 Columbia, New York 1911-04-13

Home, sweet home (Bishop) A5283 30591 Columbia, New York 1910-11-29

Il bacio (Arditi) 74107 C6153-1 Victor, 1908-04-24

Il bacio (Arditi) A5246 30592 Columbia, New York 1910-11-29

In the Gloaming (Harrison) A5425 30941 Columbia, New York 1912-01-12

Kathleen Mavourneen (Crouch) A5245 30589-1 Columbia, New York 1910-11-29

Killarney (Balfe) A5711 37203-2 Columbia, New York 1915-03-05

Love’s old sweet song (Molloy) A5670 37174 Columbia, New York 1915-02-13

Low back’d car (Lover) A5669 37202 Columbia, New York 1915-03-05

Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) Verranno a te (w. Constantino) 74064 C4550-1 Victor, 1907-05-31

Madama Butterfly (Puccini) Ancora un passo A5250 30593 Columbia, New York 1910-11-29

Madama Butterfly (Puccini) Ieri son salita A5300 30728-1 Columbia, New York 1911-04-13

Madama Butterfly (Puccini) Piccolo Iddio A5300 30594-2 Columbia, New York 1911-04-15

Madama Butterfly (Puccini) Un bel dì A5250 30595 Columbia, New York 1910-11-29

Martha (Flotow) Last rose of summer A5283 30579-1 Columbia, New York 1910-11-22

Mefistofele (Boito) L’altra notte A5248 30597 Columbia, New York 1910-11-29

My laddie (Thayer) A5401 30585-2 Columbia, New York 1910-11-23

Nebber Min’ Mah Honey (Riker) (w. quartet) 30007D 81649-3 Columbia, New York 1924-03-26

Nozze di Figaro (Mozart) Deh vieni A5249 30586 Columbia, New York 1910-11-23

Nozze di Figaro (Mozart) Voi lo sapete H1085 30581-2 Columbia, New York 1910-11-22

Oh! I’m not myself at all (Lover) A5669 37172 Columbia, New York 1915-02-11

Old black Joe (Foster) A5678 37184-3 Columbia, New York 1915-02-18

Old folks at home (Foster) A5299 30580-2 Columbia, New York 1910-11-22

Rigoletto (Verdi) E il sol dell’anima (w. Constantino) 74063 C4547-2 Victor, 1907-05-31

Rigoletto (Verdi) Sì, vendetta (w. Blanchart) A5301 30737-1 Columbia, New York 1911-04 (medio)

Rigoletto (Verdi) Tutte le efste al tempio (w. Blanchart) A5301 30738-1 Columbia, New York 1911-04 (medio)

Roméo et Juliette (Gounod) Ah, ne fuis pas encore (w. Constantino) 64091 B6136-1 Victor, 1908-04-22

Roméo et Juliette (Gounod) Ange adorable (w. Constantino) 74108 C6135-1 Victor, 1908-04-22

Sacrifice (Converse) Chonita’s prayer (Almighty Father) A5298 30724-1 Columbia, New York 1911-04-0813

Sweet Genevieve (Tucker) A5425 30927-1 Columbia, New York 1911-12-26

The day is done (Spross) A5717 37179-3 Columbia, New York 1915-02-17

The last rose of summer (Moore) 74121 C6126-1 Victor, 1908-04-21

Tosca (Puccini) Vissi d’arte A5248 30598-1 Columbia, New York 1910-11-29

Traviata (Verdi) Addio del passato 64068 C4537 Victor, 1907-05-31

Traviata (Verdi) Parigi o cara (w. Constantino) 74075 C4551-1 Victor, 1907-05-31

You’re the flower of my heart, sweet Adeline (Armstrong) A1143 19734 Columbia, New York 1912-01-22